Quality Control (QC) Specialist
Salary

The average Quality Control Specialist in the United States can expect to rake in roughly $49K per year. With some bonuses approaching $5K and certain profit sharing proceeds approaching $33K, overall incomes of Quality Control Specialists spread between $29K and $66K depending on individual performance. Location and career duration each impact pay for this group, with the former having the largest influence. Most Quality Control Specialists like their work and job satisfaction is high. Women make up a slight majority of Quality Control Specialists (58 percent) survey respondents. Medical benefits are awarded to a large number, and a fair number earn dental coverage. This overview is based on answers to PayScale's salary questionnaire.

XTotal Pay combines base annual salary or hourly wage, bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions, overtime pay and other forms of cash earnings, as applicable for this job. It does not include equity (stock) compensation, cash value of retirement benefits, or the value of other non-cash benefits (e.g. healthcare).

XTotal Pay combines base annual salary or hourly wage, bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions, overtime pay and other forms of cash earnings, as applicable for this job. It does not include equity (stock) compensation, cash value of retirement benefits, or the value of other non-cash benefits (e.g. healthcare).

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Job Description for Quality Control (QC) Specialist

Quality control (QC) specialists are in charge of supervising quality control for their organization and troubleshooting quality-related issues as they arise. They also perform quality-related tests to ensure products comply with company and legal standards. Quality control specialists need to possess strong communications skills to relay important quality control concepts to technical and non-technical professionals. Additionally, they must have excellent analytical abilities to identify quality problems and develop appropriate solutions in a timely manner. In all tasks, they must follow relevant safety regulations.

Quality control specialists' main responsibilities also include providing quality control-related input to managers and employees within their organization, as well as using a computer to measure outputs, measure materials, and perform deviations control. They are also in charge of maintaining accurate quality records for future reference and providing support to the testing and inspection processes as needed. Quality control specialists generally work in a production or manufacturing setting, and they must wear protective gear as required.

A bachelor's degree in a related field is typically required for this job, as is experience in a related position. Certifications related to quality control may be beneficial. Quality control specialists must be organized and pay close attention to detail to optimize quality processes and increase efficiency. They need to work well in a team environment, as well as on their own with minimal supervision.

Quality Control (QC) Specialist Tasks

Support factory quality engineers and managers with customer and supplier issues.

Calibrate and maintain all gauges and test machines.

Perform routine testing to ensure quality and adherence to regulations and standards.

Conduct risk assessment and corrective action solutions.

Common Career Paths for Quality Control (QC) Specialist

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Quality Control Specialists might see a strong upturn in salary after transitioning into upper-level roles such as Quality Control Manager, a seemingly popular career choice. People currently working in the latter position report a noticeably higher median income of $59K per year.

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Popular Skills for Quality Control (QC) Specialist

This chart shows the most popular skills for this job and what effect each skill has on pay.

Quality Control Specialists who responded to the survey report just a handful of professional skills. Most notably, skills in Quality Assurance / Quality Control, Windows Operating System General Use, Microsoft Office, and Microsoft Word are correlated to pay that is above average. Skills that are correlated to lower pay, on the other hand, include Microsoft Excel. Those proficient in Microsoft Excel are, more often than not, also skilled in Microsoft Office and Quality Assurance / Quality Control.

Pay by Experience Level for Quality Control (QC) Specialist

Median of all compensation (including tips, bonus, and overtime) by years of experience.

Salaries of relatively inexperienced workers fall in the neighborhood of $40K, but folks who have racked up five to 10 years see a notably higher median of $46K. For Quality Control Specialists, 10 to 20 years of experience on the job amounts to an average salary of $51K. Survey respondents who have worked for more than 20 years actually report somewhat lower incomes of $49K.

Pay Difference by Location

San Francisco is home to an above-average pay rate for Quality Control Specialists, 54 percent higher than the national average. Quality Control Specialists will also find cushy salaries in Dallas (+16 percent), Philadelphia (+14 percent), Houston (+11 percent), and Los Angeles (+9 percent). One of the biggest compensable factors for Quality Control Specialists is geography, with workers in Phoenix earning a whopping 23 percent below the national average.

Quality Control (QC) Specialist Reviews

What is it like working as a Quality Control (QC) Specialist?

Quality Control (QC) Specialist in Albany:

"Very detailed oriented, like finding mistakes to correct."

Pros: Finding errors and fixing them and helping co-workers with error trends to prevent them from re-occurring.